Path: news.cs.au.dk!not-for-mail From: "Sascha Kimmel" Newsgroups: comp.lang.beta Subject: RE: NEWBIE Question Date: 24 May 2000 09:06:43 -0000 Organization: University of Aarhus, Department of Computer Science (DAIMI) Lines: 111 Approved: mailtonews@cs.au.dk Distribution: world Message-ID: <20000524090643.16837.qmail@noatun.mjolner.dk> Reply-To: "Sascha Kimmel" NNTP-Posting-Host: daimi.cs.au.dk X-Trace: xinwen.cs.au.dk 959159257 16075786 255.255.255.255 (24 May 2000 09:07:37 GMT) X-Complaints-To: news@cs.au.dk NNTP-Posting-Date: 24 May 2000 09:07:37 GMT Xref: news.cs.au.dk comp.lang.beta:12351 > -----Original Message----- > From: atle@skynet.be [mailto:atle@skynet.be]On Behalf Of Atle > Sent: Tuesday, May 23, 2000 11:41 PM > To: Sascha Kimmel > Subject: Re: NEWBIE Question > > > Hei, Sascha! Hi, > > this is very low-level stuff. > > BTW what do you mean "for i386"? For Windows or Linux or...? > Well, neither, actually. I wanted to build a modern operating > system, with modern capabilities, a sort of in-between Windows NT and > Linux, I guess. Oohh, happy programming - esp. with all that hardware drivers you need to program yourself ;) > So I wondered if I could do like with Linux/Unix, > write the 'bare metal' stuff in assembly and the rest in Beta > instead of C/C++. I have already started work on an assembler, Beta needs C to be compiled, because many system-dependent functions are - of course - implemented in C. > this was an old half-baked project from long ago, so I need to get > that finished. > > There is no generic compiler available, because it is not possible to > > develop a OS-independet compiler if the language includes GUI-specific > > functions (sorry, patterns :) > Well. If my project succeeds, then there will not be such a thing > as 'GUI-specific'. This was one of the things I wanted to do: > Remove this artificial GUI/text-mode barrier. It has no > justification for its existence, and in fact, was not always there. But I > will not bother you with details about that :-) What do you mean with "artificial GUI/text-mode barrier"? > > If you ask me, I would say no, not at all. WHERE IS MJOLNER? HELLO? ANYONE READING?? > > In fact AFAIK it's not even possible to implement what you need > in BETA, so > > that you would need to implement it as C code which is then > called via BETA. > I see. My question then is: If I managed to make some > assembly-coded functions 'look like' C-functions, then I guess > I'm back in? If you would want to re-implement a BETA compiler in Assembler it would be no problem I guess, but be careful and have a look at Mjolner's license. AFAIK they hold the copyright on the BETA language itself!! > But is there no assembly interface at all? Even when 'kludging' a Only via C! > bit? After all, what is assembly but a kludge to get around any > language limitation? Assembler is a low-level language in contrast to BETA and is heavily system-dependent, i.e. processor-dependent! > > The only compilers available are from Mjolner Informatics > > (www.mjolner.com) - have a look and download the version you need. > Thanks. I am glad to know there is a free one. I am namely > planning to release my stuff into PD. BUT that compiler is not Public Domain!! Again be careful about the copyright - I wonder why Mjolner is not replying to your message.... > > There are AFAIK currently only 2 (in words: two) books available, one in > > German and one in English. > I am sorry I didn't specify this: I can read Danish , too (I am > Norwegian). > What is the title of the German book, please, and do you know a > place I can get it? a) "Einführung in die objektorientierte Programmierung mit BETA", Addison-Wesley b) sorry, no :( > > ask Mjolner directly @ info@mjolner.com > Thanks! > > I doubt this reply is complete but I hope I could help you! > A very good and helpful reply indeed. I may want to know a little > more about the assembly/C interface to get a better understanding. Again: there is no assembler interface, only a C interface which is documented @ mjolner.com! regards, Sascha Kimmel